June 9
Reading: Isaiah 16
1 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, by way of the desert,
to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.
3 “Give counsel; grant justice;
make your shade like night at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;
4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them from the destroyer.”
When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab– how proud he is!—
of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
in his idle boasting he is not right.
7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah;
the lords of the nations have struck down its branches,
which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert;
its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.
10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised;
no treader treads out wine in the presses;
I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.
12 And when Moab presents himself,
when he wearies himself on the high place,
when he comes to his sanctuary to pray,
he will not prevail.
13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”
Isaiah 16 continues the oracle against Moab. Destruction is coming, brought by the Lord. And the Lord is mourning for them as they suffer.
In verses 1-4a the fugitives of Moab are begging the people of God for shelter. They bring a lamb to pay tribute in hopes for help. They wish to buy help. But no help will be forthcoming.
The answer from the Lord beginning in verse 4b is twofold. First, the Lord will come to eliminate the oppressor, which is Assyria. The Lord will set up His throne and restore justice.
Beginning in verse 6 is the second part of the answer. All of this from the Lord will not rescue Moab. Why? Because the Lord is humbling prideful Moab. It is likely that the pride of Moab has kept them from trusting in the Lord of Israel, even when they were desperate for help.
One of the things that makes God sad is a common occurrence in human behavior. A person or people will see their need and be desperate for help. They might even cry out to God for help; with their kids, in their marriage, for healing, for financial rescue, for vindication, for salvation. But they want God to help them on their terms. They want God to do what they want. They want to be in control and have God do as they please.
God doesn’t do this. He is the Lord. We come to God begging for help, humbled by our mess, and we submit to His solution. This is the only way.